Money Links by George Hernandez

Links that lead to off-site pages about money.

Credit Reports

Everyone is allowed to get a free credit report annually or whenever you are turned down for credit.

AnnualCreditReport.com. 'AnnualCreditReport.com processes requests for free credit file disclosures (commonly called credit reports). Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) consumers can request and obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. AnnualCreditReport.com provides consumers with the secure means to do so.'
Equifax.com. 1-800-525-6285.
Experian.com. Formerly TRW. 1-888-397-3742.
MyFICO.com.
TransUnion.com. 1-800-680-7289
TrueCredit.com. Checks the 3 national credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

Currency Exchange

Chicago
- American Express Travel Related Services
  - 625 N. Michigan Ave.
  - 122 S. Michigan Ave.
  - 34 N. Clark St.
  - 230 S. Clark St.
- American National Bank and Trust: 22 N. LaSalle St.
- Boulevard Bank: 410 N. Michigan Ave.
- First Chicago
  - All 80 locations will exchange foreign currency
  - Downtown branches:
    - 720 N. Michigan Ave.
    - 47 W. Polk St.
    - Dearborn and Madison Sts
    - 35 W. Wacker Dr.
- Harris Bank: 111 W. Monroe St.
- National Bank of Greece: 168 N. Michigan Ave.
- Northern Trust Bank: 50 S. LaSalle St.
- Ruesch International Three: First National Plaza
- Thomas Cook Currency Services
  - 111 W. Washington St.
  - 100 E. Walton St.
  - 500 W. Madison St.
  - 12 S. LaSalle, 1-800-CURRENCY. Aka Travel Ex.
- World's Money Exchange, Inc. [wmeinc.com]
  - 6 E. Randolph St., Ste. 204
  - 203 N. LaSalle, 312-641-2151
Miscellany
- EverBank.com. One of their products is 'World Currency Accounts ... Deposit accounts and CDs denominated in any major world currency.'
- Google.com. You can do conversions right from the search bar. EG: "1 USD in PHP" for a U.S. dollar in Philippine pesos. Some other currencies I frequent in the ISO 4217 standard: EUR (euro), CAD (Canada dollar), GBP (U.K. pound), AUD (Australia dollar), JPY (Japan Yen), MXN (Mexico peso).
- oanda.com
  - FXConverter - 164 Currency Converter
- The Euro.
- XE.com. Currency exchange rates.
- x-rates.com. Currency exchange rates. Historic exchange rates too.

Economic Indicators

Congressional Budget Office [cbo.gov]
- Historical Budget Data. Esp. the U.S. deficit.
Economic indicator [W]
EconomicIndicators.gov. 'Economic Indicators.gov is brought to you by the Economics and Statistics Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Our mission is to provide timely access to the daily releases of key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. '
Federal Reserve Board [FederalReserve.gov]
- Policy
  - Beige Book
  - The Discount Rate
- Releases and Historical Data
GPOAccess.gov/indicators. 'GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government.'
U.S. Census Bureau [Census.gov]
- American FactFinder [FactFinder.Census.gov]
U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis [bea.gov]
U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics [stats.BLS.gov]
- Inflation Calculator
White House's Economic Statistics Briefing Room [WhiteHouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html]

Finance Portals

Bloomberg.com. Financial news and stats.
BusinessWeek.com
ClearStation [clearstation.etrade.com].
CNN Money [CNNfn.com or Money.CNN.com].
- Markets
  - Commodities
  - Currencies
- Personal Finance
Dow Jones [http://www.dowjones.com/]. 'Publish the world's most vital business and financial news and information in any form, time or place to create the greatest value for our customers, employees and shareholders and for the benefit of free people and free markets.' Since 1882.
- MarketWatch.com
- The Wall Street Journal [wsj.com] [W]. Daily.
- Barron's Magazine [barrons.com] [W]. Weekly.
Financial Times [ft.com]
Forbes.com
Google Finance [finance.google.com]
MSN Money Central [moneycentral.msn.com]. I also get a bunch of financial info from msn.com. As of 2006, MSN was second.
NewRatings.com
Reuters Investing [reuters.com/investing]
The Motley Fool [fool.com]
Yahoo! Finance [finance.yahoo.com]. As of 2006, Yahoo was first.

Gold

Personally I find something fascinating about gold itself. Plus I have an interest in speculating on it.

Chicago
- Harlem J. Berk Ltd., Rare Coins, 31 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60602. See, touch, buy, and sell gold!
Wikipedia
- Gold.
  - Au, Z=79, SG=19.3, melting point=1337 K, Mohs hardness=2.5.
  - It has been estimated that all the refined gold in the world would form a 20 m cube.
  - Gold mass is in troy ounces (1 troy ounce = 20 pennyweights = 480 grains = 31.1034768 g). 1 troy ounce = 1 apothecary ounce but each divides differently. Gold is NOT measured in avoirdupois ounces, i.e. the US or UK ounce (1 ounce = 0.028349523125 Kg = 28.349523125 g). What a joke! This should all be done in grams in order to avoid confusion.
  - Carat (purity).
    - The unit of "karat" is used for purity (especially for gold and platinum), while the unit of "carat" is used for measuring mass (especially in diamonds and other gems).
    - karat = 24 * (mass of gold in object / mass of object)
- Gold as an investment
- Gold bar
- Gold coin. Distinguish between collectable minted gold coins versus bullion gold coins.
  - Bullion gold coins typically come in troy ounces of gold: 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/10, and 1/20. Coins less than 24 karat have an alloy mass greater than the gold mass. The stamped face values are symbolic (EG: $50 on the 1 oz American Gold Eagle) do not reflect the market value of the gold.
    - Krugerrand. South African. Since 1967. 22 karat: 91.67% pure.
    - Canadian Gold Maple Leaf. Since 1979. 24 karat: 99.9% pure from 1979 to 1981, but 99.99% pure since 1982.
    - American Gold Eagle. Since 1986. 22 karat: 91.67% pure.
    - Australian Gold Nugget. Since 1986. 24 karat: 99.99% pure. The design changes yearly except for the 2 oz, 10 oz, and 1 Kg coins which were introduced in 1991.
    - Chinese Gold Panda. Since 1982. 24 karat: 99.9% pure. The design changes yearly. Why no wiki article?
- Gold certificate
- Gold Fixing
- Gold standard
- Digital gold currency. DGC.
- Gold exchange-traded fund. GETF. In the US: NYSE: GLD.
  - Gold Bullion Securities (ASX: GOLD)
  - Lyxor Gold Bullion Securities (LSE: GBS and Euronext: GBS)
  - Streettracks Gold Shares [http://www.streettracksgoldshares.com/] (NYSE: GLD)
  - New Gold Issuer (JSE: GLD)
  - iShares COMEX Gold Trust (NYSE: IAU)
  - ZKB Gold ETF (SWX: ZGLD)
  - Central Fund of Canada ((TSX: CEF.NV.A and NYSE: CEF)
  - ETFS Gold (LSE: BULL)
Miscellany
- AmerGold.com
- AustinCoins.com
  - GoldInfo.net easy cart
    - Best Buys
- Exchange Traded Gold [exchangetradedgold.com]. For GETF in various countries.
- Gold Bullion Trading Group [gbtg.net]. Surprisingly very little content.
- Gold.org
  - 'World Gold Council'
  - How to buy gold
- GoldCoins.org
- GoldLine.com
- GoldPrice.org. The price right now on many markets.
  - Gold Price History
- Kitco.com. 'Since 1977,Kitco has earned a reputation as one of the world's premier retailers of precious metals.We offer a complete line of the highest quality bullion bars and coins for investors and refining services for the jewelry manufacturing industry, as well as mill products.'
- National Mining Association [NMA.org]
  - "Average Annual Gold Prices". Generate your own charts.
- ShipOfGoldInfo.com. 'Discover the truly heroic story of the sinking and recent discovery of the SS Central America, the worst peacetime disaster at sea in American History. Find where the sensational "Ship of Gold" exhibit is scheduled to appear and how individuals may acquire SS Central America gold relics for private estates.'
- Status Report of U.S. Treasury-Owned Gold (Gold Report) [fms.treas.gov/gold/]
- USAGold.com
  - How to Buy Gold Coins and Bullion

Housing

Chicago
- BairdWarner.com. Chicago real estate.
- CBChicagoland.com Coldwell Banker Online. Chicago Real Estate.
- ChicagoBungalow.org
- Chicago-Real-Estate.biz. Also let's you search the Chicago MLS (Multiple Listing Service) for free.
- Chicago Real Estate Search [chicagorealestatesearch.com]. MLS search too.
- ChiReader.com. Free alternative weekly. The best classifieds for housing in Chicago.
- ci.chi.il.us/housing/bungalow2.shtml
- City of Chicago's Department of Housing
  - City Mortgage. Chicago provides financial support to first time home buyers in Chicago.
- Rubloff.com. Chicago real estate since the 1930s.
Home Making
- Ask the Builder [AskTheBuilder.com]. By Tim Carter.
- FlyLady.net.
  - 'FlyLady uses the Sidetracked Home Executive (SHE) system as a basis for organizing her home and her life. She adds humor, spunk, and a dose of common sense to her advice, but be prepared - FlyLady does not allow whining. You have to get off your "Franny"!'
  - Men need a comparable site.
- Lowe's How-To Library [Lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=topicSelect&topic=buyGuide]
- OrganizedHome.com. Very similar to Fly Lady but secular.
Official
- U.S. Census Bureau: Housing [Census.gov/hhes/www/housing.html]
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD.gov]. 'HUD's mission is to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination.'
Miscellany
- Do It Yourself [DoItYourself.com]
- Fannie Mae [FannieMae.com].
  - Aka: Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA); NYSE: FNM;
  - 'Our public mission, and our defining goal, is to help more families achieve the American Dream of homeownership. We do that by providing financial products and services that make it possible for low-, moderate-, and middle-income families to buy homes of their own.'
  - 'Fannie Mae is a private, shareholder-owned company that works to make sure mortgage money is available for people in communities all across America. We do not lend money directly to home buyers. Instead, we work with lenders to make sure they don't run out of mortgage funds, so more people can achieve their goal of homeownership.'
- For Sale By Owner [FSBO.com]
- Homes.com
- Housing-Bubble.com
- Joint Center for Housing Studies [JCHS.Harvard.edu]. 'The Joint Center for Housing Studies is Harvard University's center for information and research on housing in the United States. The Joint Center analyzes the dynamic relationships between housing markets and economic, demographic, and social trends, providing leaders in government, business, and the non-profit sector with the knowledge needed to develop effective policies and strategies.'
- MortgageLoan.com. With a bunch of mortgage and financial calculators.
- National Association of Realtors [Realtor.com and Realtor.org]. The former is for the public, while the latter is for realtors. It has a decent MLS (Mulit-Listing Service).
- ZipRealty.com.

Modern Portfolio Theory

Modern Portfolio Theory. ' Basic portfolio theory was originated by Harry Markowitz (Nobel Prizewinner) in the early 1950's. While investors before then knew intuitively that it was smart to diversify (ie. Don't "put all your eggs in one basket.") Markowitz was among the first to attempt to quantify risk and demonstrate quantitatively why and how portfolio diversification works to reduce risk for investors. He was also the first to establish the concept of an "efficient portfolio". An efficient portfolio is one which has the smallest attainable portfolio risk for a given level of expected return (or the largest expected return for a given level of risk). '
Modern Portfolio Theory: A Nobel Prize-Winning Approach
A useful simplification of Modern Portfolio Theory
Common Sense InvestSense ... Portfolio Optimization [PDF]

Non-profit organization

Aka not-for-profit; NPO.

Wikipedia
Miscellany
- Action Without Borders [idealist.org]
  - 'Action Without Borders connects people, organizations and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. Action Without Borders is independent of any government, political ideology or religious creed. Our work is guided by the common desire of our members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.'
  - Lists over 50,000 organizations.

Taxes

Current [2004] tax systems. Of course on all levels there are all sorts of other taxes and fees for things.
- The US tax system is a progressively graduated income tax system, i.e. the rich pay more, with a complicated system of deductions and exemptions.
- The states levy an income tax system similar to the federal but they also levy a state sales tax. The state income tax system is much simpler than the federal because the state uses the calculations from your federal income tax.
- Municipalites charge sales tax.
The political arguments over taxes are twofold:
- More or less. This is actually a non-issue. If the government provides services, then it needs to tax.
- Progressive, flat, or regressive.
FairTax (aka National Sales Tax). Under this system people pay taxes for consumption but not on their income or investments. This sound right except that this inevitably leads to a regressively graduated tax system. The poor would pay proportionately more taxes than the rich since a poor woman spends a great portion of her income on taxable items, whereas a rich man spends a tiny fraction of his income on taxable items.
- FairTax.org. 'Simply put, the FairTax replaces the way we're currently taxed - based on our annual income - with a tax on goods and services. The FairTax is a voluntary "consumption" tax: the more you buy, the more you pay in taxes, the less you buy, the less you pay in taxes. '
- FairTaxVolunteer.org.
- Emancipating America From the Income Tax How a National Sales Tax Would Work
- "Consumption taxes and liberals" by Bruce Bartlett
  - A lousy article. I'm only writing about it to defend Liberals. I can't believe that the this guy makes money writing for TownHall and the NRO.
  - ' Consumption taxes are less burdensome than income taxes because of the way they treat saving. Under an income tax, all returns to saving and investment -- interest, dividends, rent and capital gains -- are fully taxed. Under a consumption tax, they would be exempt. Consequently, saving and investment are much higher with a consumption tax than an income tax. That is why European countries, which all have tax burdens much higher than ours but also raise more of their revenue by taxing consumption, are still able to grow. '
    - The last sentence is useless.
  - ' Liberals also make the mistake of assuming that a consumption-based tax system is regressive -- taking more out of the pockets of the poor than the rich. In fact, over one's lifetime, consumption is roughly proportional to income, because over a lifetime we eventually consume all our income. Thus, a tax on consumption will also be roughly proportional -- taking the same percentage from all taxpayers. '
    - No, a rich man does not eventually consume all of his income over his lifetime.
  - ' Simultaneously, most of those who would be considered rich weren't after a few years -- 5 percent fell all the way from the top tax bracket to the bottom bracket. '
    - LOL! Since when is 5% equivalent to most? Even if it's a typo, the richest 5% tend to stay rich. Only an idiot could blow that much money.
  - ' Adopting a consumption-based tax system will help more Americans become rich. That is another reason why liberals oppose it. '
    - Liberals have nothing against people becoming rich.
Flat Tax. Under this system everyone pays the same percentage of their income on taxes regardless of their income level. The
Miscellany
- NCPA.org/pi/taxes/. The National Center for Policy Analysis on tax issues.
  - Flat Tax
  - National Sales Tax
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax. Very good.
- IRET.org. Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation is 'dedicated to the belief that constructive, free-market economic policies are essential for the nation's economic progress, and that the private sector is the principal engine of economic growth. Constructive public policies, in IRET's view, must be more than just politically attractive; they must make economic sense as well.'
- TaxAnalysts.com. ' This is where better tax law and smarter tax debate begins, flourishes, and never really ends. This is where the largest staff of reporters and editors dedicated exclusively to tax issues publishes up-to-the-minute news. This is where the "great pens" in tax commentary express themselves and challenge the "great swords" in government to simplify the enormous complexities of taxation. Welcome to the great debate. Tax Analysts. Respectfully disagreeable since 1970. '
  - TaxHistory.org. ' a public service initiative from Tax Analysts. Established in 1995, the Project provides scholars, policymakers, journalists, and the general public with information on the history of U.S. public finance. '
  - Tax History Museum. 'A virtual museum of United States tax history'
- YourTax.org.
  - As of now [2004] Tennessee has the highest sales tax in the US.
  - ' Tennesseans for Fair Taxation works to create a more fair and progressive tax structure in Tennessee that ensures adequate revenues for the benefit of all Tennesseans.'

Trading

Stock Exchanges
- Top (numbers in TUSD as of 2006)
  1. New York Stock Exchange (NYSE = Big Board) [http://www.nyse.com] [W]. 15.4. Merging with Euronext? Since 1792. Privately owned by NYSE Group (NYX) [W]. Ticker symbols: 1-3 characters. Indices:
    - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA = Dow 30).
    - NYSE Composite Index. All companies in the NYSE.
  2. Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE = (東京証券取引所 = Tōkyō Shōken Torihikisho) [http://www.tse.or.jp/english/index.shtml] [W]. 4.6. Since 1878. Indices:
    - Nikkei 225
    - TOPIX
    - J30
  3. National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) [http://www.nasdaq.com] [W]. 3.9. Merging with LSE? Since 1971. Privately owned by The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NDAQ). Tends to be tech heavy.Ticker symbols: 4-5 characters. Indices:
    - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA = Dow 30).
    - NASDAQ Composite Index. All companies in NASDAQ.
    - NASDAQ-100. Top 100 non-financial companies in NASDAQ.
    - NASDAQ Biotechnology Index.
  4. London Stock Exchange (LSE) [http://www.LondonStockExchange.com] [W]. 3.8. Merging with NASDAQ? Since 1801. Indices:
    - FTSE 100 Index
    - FTSE 250 Index
    - FTSE 350 Index
  5. Euronext [http://www.euronext.com/] [W]. 3.7. Merging with NYSE? Indices:
    - Euronext 100
    - Next 150 Index
  6. Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE = 香港交易所 = 港交所 = HKEX = SEHK) [http://www.hkex.com.hk/] [W]. 1.71. Indices:
    - Hang Seng Index
  7. Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) [http://www.tsx.com/] [W]. 1.70. Since 1861.
  8. Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE = Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse = FWB) [http://deutsche-boerse.com/dbag/dispatch/en/kir/gdb_navigation/about_us/20_FWB_Frankfurt_Stock_Exchange] [W]. 1.64. Owned by Deutsche Börse. Indices: DAX, DAXplus, CDAX, DivDAX, LDAX, MDAX, SDAX, TecDAX, VDAX and EuroStoxx 50.
  9. Madrid Stock Exchange (MSE = Bolsa de Madrid = BDM = BME) [http://www.bolsamadrid.es/] [W]. 1.32. Since 1831. Indices:
    - IGBM.
    - IBEX-35
    - FTSE-Latibex Index
  10. Swiss Exchange (SWX) [http://www.swx.com/] [W]. 1.21. Indices:
    - Swiss Market Index
  11. Australian Stock Exchanges (ASE = ASX) [http://www.asx.com.au/] [W]. 1.10. Indices:
    - S&P/ASX 200
    - All Ordinaries Index
    - S&P/ASX 50
- Other US stock exchanges
  - American Stock Exchange (AMEX) [AmEx.com] [W]. Ticker symbols: 2-3 characters. Indices:
    - Inter@ctive Week Internet Index
    - AMEX Composite Index
  - Archipelago Exchange (ArcaEx) --> NYSE Arca --> NYSE. Chicago based but merged with the NYSE 2006-03-07.
  - Arizona Stock Exchange --> Closed.
  - Boston Stock Exchange (BSE) [http://www.bostonstock.com/] [W]. Since 1834, the third eldest in the US.
  - Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX) [http://www.chx.com/] [W]. Since 1882.
  - Pacific Exchange --> ArcaEx etc.
  - Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX) [http://www.phlx.com/] [W]. Since 1790, the eldest in the US.
- Other stock exchanges
  - Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) [http://www.pse.com.ph/] [W]. Indices:
    - PSE All Shares Index (ALL)
    - PSE Composite Index (PHISIX)
    - PSE Financials Index (FIN)
    - PSE Holding Firms Index (HDG)
    - PSE Industrial Index (IND)
    - PSE Mining and Oil Index (M-O)
    - PSE Property Index (PRO)
    - PSE Services Index (SVC)
Other Exchanges. Futures, options, commodities, forex, etc.
- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT = NYSE: BOT) [http://www.cbot.com/] [W]. 'established in 1848, is the world's oldest futures and options exchange' Merged with the CME 2006-10-17.
- Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) [http://www.cboe.com/] [W]. 'located at 400 South LaSalle Street in Chicago, is one of the world's largest options exchanges
- Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME = The Merc = NYSE: CME) [http://www.cme.com/] [W]
- New York Board of Trade (NBOT) [http://www.nybot.com/] [W]
- New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) [http://www.nymex.com/] [W]
Major US Indices
- Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA = Dow 30) by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ) [DowJones.com] [W]. The oldest US index.
- NYSE Composite Index. All companies in the NYSE.
- NASDAQ Composite Index [http://quotes.nasdaq.com/aspx/marketindices.aspx] [W]. All companies in NASDAQ.
- NASDAQ-100 [http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/nasdaq100_activity.stm] [W]. Top 100 non-financial companies in NASDAQ.
- S&P 500 Index [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26P_500] [W]. Standard and Poor's index for 500 large US companies, roughly all US market.
- Russell 2000 (RUT) [http://www.russell.com/US/Indexes/US/2000.asp] [W and W]. Small cap stocks.
- Wilshire 5000 (Dow Jones Wilshire 5000) [http://www.wilshire.com/Indexes/Broad/Wilshire5000/] [W]. Roughly all US market.
Brokers. Many institutions and banks act as brokers. Some of the brokers below do other things as well.
- Broker Comparison [http://www.fool.com/dbc/tables/compare.htm?ref=in]
- Full service brokers
  - T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ: TROW) [http://www.troweprice.com/] [W]. Since 1937.
  - A.G. Edwards, Inc. (NYSE: AGE) [http://www.agedwards.com/] [W]. Since 1887.
  - Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) [http://www.ml.com/] [W]. Since 1914.
  - Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) [http://www.morganstanley.com/] [W]. Since 1935. Does the Discover card too.
- Discount brokers (do it yourself)
  - Ameritrade, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTD) [http://www.tdameritrade.com/] [W]. Owned by TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation.
  - E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) [http://www.etrade.com/] [W]
  - Fidelity Investments [https://www.fidelity.com/] [W]. Privately owned.
  - ShareBuilder [http://www.sharebuilder.com/] [W]. Privately owned.
Miscellany
- OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB) [OTCBB.com] [W]. A regulated quotation service for stocks not in the major stock exchanges. OTCBB is owned by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), which has delegated authority from the SEC. NASD formed NASDAQ in 1971 but has since separated from it. Ticker symbols: 4-5 characters.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [SEC.gov] [W]
  - 'The primary mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to protect investors and maintain the integrity of the securities markets. As more and more first-time investors turn to the markets to help secure their futures, pay for homes, and send children to college, these goals are more compelling than ever.'
  - Calculators for Investors
  - Fast Answers
    - Orders
- Pink Sheets [http://www.pinksheets.com/] [W]. While OTC trading is not as well regulated as exchange trading, Pink Sheets allows trading at an even lower level with even less regulation. Pink sheet stocks are frequently suffixed with ".PK" or ".P".

Wikipedia

Bond (finance). Security based cash instruments that are also long term debt instruments.
Capital gain
Cash
Certificate of deposit
Commodity
Currency
Day trading
Deposit account
Derivative (finance)
Dividends
Economics. 'In the social sciences, economics is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.'
Equity (disambiguation). In economics and law, "equity" refers to fairness. In investing, "equity" refers ownership.
Exchange-traded fund
Financial instrument
Foreign exchange market. Generally trading one currency for another.
Fungibility
Futures contract. A contract to buy or sell certain financial instruments at a certain future date for a specified price.
- List of futures exchanges
Individual Retirement Account
Loan. Cash based cash instruments that are also long term debt instruments
Margin (finance)
Market liquidity
Money. 'any good or token that functions as a medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account'
Mutual fund
Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO)
- Moody's Investor Service
- Standard & Poor's
- Fitch Ratings
- A. M. Best Company
- Dominion Bond Rating Service, Ltd
Numismatics. The study of money in terms of science and history.
- Exonumia. The study of coin money.
- Notaphily. The study of paper money.
- Scripophily. The study of stocks and bonds.
Option (finance). A contract between a buyer=holder and a seller=writer, where the buyer has the right=option to buy (a call option) or sell (a put option) certain financial instruments at a set price=strike price on or before a future date=exercise date. The buyer has the "long" position and pays an option premium to the seller who has the "short" position.
Order (exchange). Buy low. Sell high.
Over-the-counter (finance). OTC trading is between two individuals as opposed to exchange trading which uses an exchange. Generally carried out via the OTCBB but is not as well regulated.
Regulatory
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US SEC)
Security (finance)
Short selling. Borrowing and selling stocks now, in the hope that the price will drop so you can buy and return stocks later. This is hoping to "sell high and buy low" instead of the usual hope to "buy low and sell high".
Stock. Security based cash instruments that are also equity instruments.
- Stock broker. An agent who matches buyer and sellers.
- Stock exchange. An organization that provides a space for stock brokers, stock traders, and the financial instruments they exchange.
  - List of stock exchanges. This page seems to be subject to spam.
  - Electronic Communication Network (ECN)
  - ETrading
- Stock trader. As opposed to a stock investor.
Supply and demand. This chart shows that an increase in demand raises the equilibrium price.
Tax
Ticker symbol.
- # of letters:
  - 1 is NYSE
  - 2 is NYSE or AMEX
  - 3 is NYSE or AMEX
  - 4 is NASDAQ
  - 5 is special
- Special codes include:
  - D is new issue
  - Q is in bankruptcy
  - X is mutual fund
  - .PK or .P is Pink Sheet
Treasury security. T-Bills are < 1 year. T-Notes are 2-10 years. T-Bonds are > 10 years.
Trust law

Miscellany

Text
- "Better Invoices for Better Business"
- "Overview: The Model of Supply and Demand"
- "Price Theory: An Intermediate Text". By David D. Friedman. A free online paper on economics.
Miscellany
- 50years.org. 'U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice is a coalition of over 200 U.S. grassroots, women's, solidarity, faith-based, policy, social- and economic-justice, youth, labor and development organizations dedicated to the profound transformation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).'
- about.com/money/
  - "Intro to Stock Trading"
  - "Before You Open a Brokerage Account"
  - "Choosing a Broker"
- AlwaysOn-Network.com
- BankOne.com. A Midwestern bank I use.
- BankRate.com. Various personal finance channels including banking, investing, taxes and small business finance.
- BigCharts.com. Great investment charting and research site.
- BrightStartSavings.com. Save for your kid's college with earnings free from federal and Illinois state taxes.
- BusinessWeek.com.
- Cheskin.com. Design principles for business profitability. Their 6 points: Understand what others don't. Be a powerful presence. Be relevant. Distinguish yourself. Make change. Evolve or die.
- Cost-of-living index [W]
  - There is an annual Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security that should be used for wages too.
  - For kicks, here are the official SS COLA numbers for the past several years:
    - 2001 3.5%
    - 2002 2.6%
    - 2003 1.4%
    - 2004 2.1%
    - 2005 2.7%
    - 2006 4.1%
- DailyReckoning.com. Site for contrarians.
- Design For A Sustainable Economics.
- EconJournalWatch.org
- Economy.com. 'We are a leading independent provider of economic, financial, and industry research. Our economic research and data are used by clients in 50 countries around the globe. '
- Excellence in Financial Management. By Matt Evans, CPA, CMA, CFM. Some free financial resources.
  - Free Excel Spreadsheets
- FinanceScholar.com. A lot of free finance tutorials online.
- GasBuddy.com. 'GasBuddy.com can help you find cheap gas prices in your city.'
- Illinois Trade Association (ITA) [itatrade.com]. Bartering in Illinois.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) [imf.org]. 'The IMF is an organization of 184 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty. '
- ingrimayne.saintjoe.edu/econ/. CyberEconomics by Robert Schenk.
- Investopedia.com.
  - "Investing 101: Introduction"
  - "Start Investing With Only $1,000"
- InvestorWords.com
- Jokes About Economists and Economics.
- Leithner.com.au. ' Leithner & Co. Pty. Ltd. is a private investment company based in Brisbane, Australia. It adheres strictly to the traditional "value" approach to investment pioneered by Benjamin Graham and adapted by his colleagues Warren Buffett, Thomas Knapp and Walter Schloss. Leithner & Co.'s motto is its method: to undertake investment operations which are based upon thorough research; to provide reasonable safety of principal and offer an adequate return; and to inform shareholders regularly, fully and in plain language about these investment operations. '
- Prosper.com. "The online marketplace for people-to-people lending".
- SmartMoney.com
- Solari.com. 'Our intention is to make healthy local living economies the best investment worldwide, offering investment vehicles for regional and global investors to participate in the local equity financing and resulting capital gains.'
- TCalc.com. Some nice financial calculators available online or for adding to your own site.
- TravisMorien.com. An independent financial planner with some info online.
- U.S. Small Business Administration [sba.gov]. 'Helping Small Businesses Succeed'
  - Free online courses
- WhereIsTheMoney.org. 'Trillions of dollars in "unsupported adjustments" means trillions of dollars unaccounted for. What's going on? Where is the money? How could this happen?'
- wikihow.com/Category:Finance-and-Business
  - "How to Avoid Day Trading Mistakes"
  - "How to Avoid Investment Trading System Scams"
  - "How to Buy Stocks"
  - "How to Buy Treasury Bonds"
  - "How to Choose Stocks"
  - "How to Get Started in the Stock Market"
  - "How to Invest"
  - "How to Trade Forex Online"
- WorldBank.org. ' The World Bank Group's mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development Bank which provides loans, policy advice, technical assistance and knowledge sharing services to low and middle income countries to reduce poverty. '

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